Rhythm of Your Heartbeat
by writersrefinery
Summary: One shot set 6 months after the Epilogue of "Semper Fi". Just a day in the life of the Stabler family. Elliot and Olivia with the kids and attending a work event. Just good old fashioned sweet and sexiness like only E/O can do. Please read and review.


**Author's Note:** Hi guys! I know I said I was going to make one of my one shots a story next but other ideas keep popping in my head first so here we go. This story is set 6 months or so after the Epilogue to "Semper Fi". If you aren't familiar with that story then you can always go read it (hint hint) j/k but reading the Epilogue may help.

This is just a day in the life of the Stabler family J

* * *

Olivia sets the black lace one shoulder cocktail dress she will wear tonight on edge of the bed. Dressed in her black strapless bra that barely contains her ample cleavage, matching black panties and heels, she glances at the clock on the nightstand and sees they are running late…again. It seems to be their new normal. Even though her and Elliot are working a lot less these days since she retired and he's only taking undercover assignments here and there, somehow they always seem to running late. And the reasons for that are currently down the hall fighting…again.

"Stay out of my room," she hears Noah bark at his sister.

"No, Mooooove," Charlotte whines back.

She sighs heavily, rolls her eyes and is about to walk down the hall to break it up when she hears the one person who will definitely shut down the arguing.

"Charlotte, what do you need out of your brother's room?" she hears Elliot roar.

There is a small amount of silence which she assumes is her daughter's usual posture of pouting, frowning and then pointing at whatever the issue is since she is now too upset to talk.

She knows she's right when she hears Elliot talk again. "Give her the doll back. Stop taking your sister's stuff."

"She took my superman first!" Noah fights back.

"Did you take your brother's toy?"

Olivia smiles and shakes her head knowingly while she fastens the garters on the side of her stockings. Of course Charlotte took it. It's what she does. Her stubborn daughter has all the traits of both her and Elliot and sometimes it drives her absolutely insane.

"Apologize to your brother," he instructs her and there is a muffled ' _I'm sorry'_ followed soon after. There is radio silence for a few minutes which she knows is Elliot pulling both of the tots in his arms into a hug to make sure there are no lingering hard feelings towards him or each other. He's softened as the years have gone by and Noah and Charlotte have definitely taken advantage.

She's in the bathroom putting on the finishing touches of her makeup when she looks up and sees him leaning against the doorframe taking her in from head to toe.

She grins back at him while applying the rest of her mascara. "See something you like?"

He puts both his hands in his pockets, stalking closer to her. "Indeed I do." He looks at his watch and then snakes his arm around her waist. "You know we can be a little late," and he grinds his growing erection into her lace covered behind.

"Oh no," she pushes him away. "You harped on me all week about how important it was we go to this event even though I didn't want to and we are already running late, so no." She plants a quick kiss on the corner of his lips and walks back into the bedroom to put on her dress.

Elliot is only a few steps behind her taking in the way her panties hug her still perfectly tight ass. They are both older now but time has been good to them and no doubt that chasing behind their toddlers has helped to do their bodies good. "Do you want me to help you with that?"

She can't help but giggle at his offer. He's still as insatiable as he ever was and she blames the sixteen year long foreplay for that.

He scoots up behind her again and this time his fingers tease the front lip of her panties. "I don't mind helping," he whispers in her ear.

There isn't time, the kids are awake right down the hall and any moment Dick, Lucy and their son will be there to watch the kids but she can't help the stirrings in her lower belly.

"We shouldn't," she whispers and her hand covers his motioning it towards the inside.

"I know." He nibbles her ear, his fingers press inside the fabric and he rubs the outside of her folds.

Olivia moans softly, a practice they have learned over the years with two young kids nearby and just when his fingers are about to dip inside of her, the doorbell rings.

"Dickie is here!" Noah yells and they hear his footsteps running down the stairs to greet him.

They both blow out breaths of frustration even though they knew it was too good to be true.

"Raincheck?" Her head rests on his shoulder and she's looking up at him through her dark lashes. He gives her a pressed smile and kisses the tip of her nose. "Raincheck." He slaps her on the ass and she yelps. "Now get dressed woman. We need to be leaving in ten minutes."

Eighteen minutes later, she descends the steps in her dress. Her hair is pulled up in a simple bun, she's wearing the diamond earrings he gave her for their anniversary and she's carrying a simple beaded black clutch. She's rewarded with his extensive grin and although there is tons of noise around them with Lucy trying to quiet her son who is cranky, Charlotte and Noah both vying for Dickie's attention, all they can see are each other. Elliot always has a way of making her feel like she is the only woman in the room. Sometimes she hates that they went through so much to find their way to each other, but it's in these moments that she wonders if the journey had been easy if it would be like this.

Their own version of Perfection.

"You look gorgeous," he whispers in her ear.

She smiles and fixes his tie. "I think you are biased but thank you."

"Mommy you look like a princess," Noah says walking up to her with his action figure in hand.

Not one to be outdone Charlotte is right behind him. "Pretty mommy."

She bends down to hug them both and tries to kiss them without getting lipstick over their sweet little faces.

"You two be good for Dickie and Lucy ok?"

"Ok," they say in agreement and she gives them both another quick kiss.

Lucy walks in holding a now quiet Brandon, her and Dickie's son, who is slowly drifting to sleep. "You do look great Liv."

Elliot holds his arms out in front of him, "What am I chopped liver?"

"You look okay too old man, " Dickie offers and there is a brief smile between father and son. The past few years have been kind to them and they have been able to relate to each other even better these days not just man to man but from one father to another.

"Ok you guys are going to be even later than you already are," Lucy reminds them and begins to shoo them out the door with her free hand. "Don't you worry about these munchkins we've got it covered. They know there is only 30 more minutes to bedtime. Right?" she calls behind her.

"Right," they both groan in unison and she sees the beginnings of her daughter's infamous pout. Elliot grabs their coats and is fiddling around looking for his keys while Olivia takes a lingering glance into the living room. The kids both sit on the floor looking at the television and when Charlotte's juice cup tips over, Noah picks it up and hands it to her before anything can spill and spreads the blanket they are sharing over her feet so she doesn't get cold. She can't help but smile at the gesture. They always fuss and fight but no matter what Noah takes care of his little sister. She didn't meet her brother until much later in life so the dynamic between siblings has always been an enigma to her that she experiences through her children. They teach her something new every single day.

"You ready?" Elliot asks interrupting her reverie.

"Yeah," she nods. He catches her every now and then in random moments watching the kids and watching him but he never calls her on it. She's gotten more reflective over the years and he is just happy to see that despite walking away from SVU, her home for so long that she's gotten completely comfortable finding solace in the home and family they have created.

Elliot drives, his left hand on the steering wheel and his right resting on the center console. It's a quiet Wednesday night and she rolls down her window to let a little of the light breeze into the car. She takes his right hand in hers and holds it, a simple gesture that instantly brings a smile to his face. "Thank you for coming with me tonight," he says tenderly taking his eyes off the road briefly to meet hers.

She smiles back at him, "You're welcome Stabler although I do think it is my duty as a wife to accompany you to these things."

"Eh, my girlfriend was busy so I appreciate you picking up the slack," he jokes and she pinches the inside of his leg hard.

"Ow!" His leg jerks away from her and he's thankful they are at a red light.

"You are lucky I'm not still carrying my gun with me all the time," she slaps him again playfully. "So what is this event again?"

"One of my bosses is retiring so they are throwing him a little party. He's been with the FBI for over 30 years so it's a pretty big deal," he explains and she nods her head in understanding. "But don't worry we don't have to stay for too long."

"It's ok," she shrugs. "I don't mind."

The car turns another corner and they end up stuck behind a cab. He brings their hands to his mouth and gently kisses her knuckles. "But I do. I plan on cashing in on that raincheck."

His eyes are dark, his eyes low and Olivia shifts in her seat involuntarily. The promise of what awaits her after this event surging through her body.

They ride in a comfortable silence for the duration of the trip and pull up to the hotel where Elliot hands the keys off for valet parking. They walk arm in arm through the lavish lobby and into the side room where the party is being held. "You really do look beautiful tonight," he whispers in her ear.

She blushes and squeezes his hand. "You don't have to lay it on so thick, don't worry you will get lucky later tonight as long as you continue to play your cards right."

His voice drops and he pivots closer into her body. "I plan to lay it on _very_ thick." She laughs at his perverse attempt at humor when one of his colleagues walks up to greet them.

"Agent Stabler, Mrs. Stabler it's great to see you again," the older gentleman greets them. She's still getting used to being called Mrs. Stabler so often. Since she retired she rarely hears the name Benson anymore unless she is working with her old squad as a consultant.

"It's great to see you too Captain Washington," Elliot shakes his hand. "They did a great job pulling this together for Robert. I'm sure he appreciates it."

"I never thought he would actually retire," the Captain comments and takes a sip of his wine. "I thought we would have to wheel him out of the office."

They all laugh courteously and Elliot swipes a couple of glasses of champagne from the waiter walking by. Captain Washington's wife walks up while they are engaging in the normal small talk about kids and work. "Honey, this is Olivia, Elliot's wife."

She shakes the blonde's hand and they exchange compliments on each other's dresses. "Olivia here was the talk of the Special Victims Unit before she retired," he brags and she's taken aback by the compliment.

"Well I don't know about that."

"Oh I worked with Chief Deputy Dodds for years. He took it hard when you left."

Elliot's brow lifts and she tries to hide her surprise. Her and the man never really did see eye to eye. They didn't get close to somewhat getting on the same page until around the time she announced her retirement.

"It was a tough decision but it was time."

They are joined by a few more of Elliot's colleagues and engage in more obligatory small talk. After an hour, Olivia ends up in a huddle of other wives while Elliot and the men talk about sports near the bar area. Every once in a while she looks up and catches him staring at her from across the room. There aren't too many minutes that go by before they steal glances at one another. They've spent more time together recently than they have since they were actual partners but it never seems like quite enough. Before it was time spent chasing after perps, interrogating suspects and on stakeouts. The air was thick with words unsaid and unrequited feelings. Now their time is spent with their children, enjoying each other's company and the occasional event like this one.

"So Olivia," one of the wives whose name she has already forgotten calls out to her to get her attention, "You must be happy to have Elliot home more now."

"I am," she gives her a tight smile. "And the children have enjoyed having him home as well."

"How old are they again?" she asks and Olivia is quite certain she already knows the answer but she obliges her anyway.

"The youngest ones are two, four and ten."

"The most beautiful children you will ever see," the woman brags. "He has pictures of them in his office and talks about them all the time. And you my dear. He's very proud."

"Thank you," she says humbly and sips from her third glass of champagne. She catches his eye again and sees the look she knows all too well. She excuses herself from the group of ladies and walks slowly over to the bar area where Elliot is.

"Excuse me gentlemen, you don't mind if I interrupt do you?" She touches her hand to Elliot's side possessively.

"Not at all, we definitely don't mind the interruption especially one as beautiful as you." The room is just full of corny one-liners tonight she thinks and listens for a few minutes while they wrap up a conversation on some sport that she has zero interest in.

"Well I'm going to steal him away for a second," Olivia announces fulfilling her reason for coming over in the first place. They can't see Elliot's audible gasp of relief but she can feel his chest slightly relax beneath her hands.

"Go ahead and maybe you can talk him into not turning down the job offer we've been trying to talk him into."

Elliot stills but tries to quickly recover as the group of four men laugh around them. Olivia also plays it off and pulls him away far enough so they can talk and not be heard. "What job offer is he talking about?"

He drops his hand to her waist and sets her glass down on one of the nearby tables. He's still silent and she searches his eyes for any flit of acknowledgement of her question. "Did you hear me?"

"Let's dance," he ignores her pulling her to the small dance floor. His left arm is at her waist and his right hand is in hers as they sway to the soft music. His face is close, his heartbeat in time with the melody. He's not talking and she doesn't push, a lesson she's learned from their partnership both in and out of the squadroom.

"They offered me Robert's job," he admits keeping in time with the music. "I turned it down."

"I gathered. Why?"

He takes his hand out of hers and wraps both of his hands around her waist. "Just wasn't the right time. I'm fine where I am."

That's all he says and their bodies move in perfect harmony across the dance floor. He pulls her closer and lays his head in between her neck and shoulder. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Already?" she chuckles and looks at her watch.

"Yeah, they've toasted Robert, we've done our share of small talk for the night and it's been a few hours. Let's go home."

She doesn't argue with him. Home was once a place they both used in similar but different situations. For her it became a place to store her clothes and furniture and to take a shower and sleep but she didn't really hang out there if she wasn't at work. As the years went on, home for him took on a different meaning. At first it was a place for him to escape to but as the years and job got harder, it became a place to escape from. They both ran to the same place when things got rough. Work. And in turn they ran to each other.

"Ok."

He's quiet on the ride home but occasionally she sees him tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the tune she assumes is playing out in his head. He's relaxed and content and she loves him most when he's like this. As they pull into the neighborhood, his hand drops from the console to tease the edge of her dress that stops just above her knee. She smiles knowingly and is met with the dark twinkle in his eye.

"So is that why you wanted to leave early?" she relaxes back into her seat to give him better access.

"I don't know what you mean," he winks at her, his hands moving further up her thigh. Her breath hitches when he fingers the garter belts and moves to her inner thigh.

They are almost home but the closer they get the slower he's driving, his attention focused on the treasure between her legs.

Olivia spreads them as best she can in the small space and his fingers rub against the sheer material, maneuvering toward the apex of her thighs. She moans at the contact and he quickly pulls his hand back. She's about to protest when she notices him start to speed through the neighborhood.

"Elliot slow down," she laughs and scolds at the same time.

"I need to get you home now," he attests and pulls on to their street barely missing the curb. "No one is on the street anyway. No pedestrians are being harmed."

They pull into the driveway and Olivia's head jerks when he throws on the breaks. "You are ridiculous."

He opens the door for her and she gets out slowly, her hand in his. She's about to take a step forward when he leans her into the side of the car, his body pressing into hers.

"Mmm, you smell good," the scent of his cologne awakening every sense in her body. He kisses her cheek and moves down to her neck. "We have neighbors," she subtly reminds him.

"You're right," he agrees pushing his lower half into her and she can feel his erection. She chuckles, the warm sound bubbling deep from her throat. "You better get that under control before we get in there. You do have to greet Dick and Lucy."

"I got it covered. That's why there are jackets," he announces triumphantly and holds it out in front of him.

She shakes her head in amusement. "Clever."

Elliot opens the door slowly, one hand on the key and balancing his coat, the other hand in Olivia's. Dick is in the living room rocking the baby and Lucy is washing out his bottle.

"What are you guys doing back so early I didn't expect you for another hour?"

Olivia smiles, walking over to peek at Brandon to see if he's awake. "Well someone was eager to leave soo…."

Dick looks at his dad's jacket, his guilty stance and rolls his eyes. "Good grief. Come on honey let's head out."

Lucy blinks dumbfounded but gathers the diaper bag and the rest of their things before they leave. "They are both sound asleep and were no trouble at all," she assures them.

Elliot laughs at her always overly nice nature. "If that's true then that would be a first."

They both give their grandson a quick kiss on the head before Lucy and Dick head out to the car.

As soon as the door closes, Elliot has her pressed against the wall in the foyer. His tongue travels from her ear to her neck, leaving a wet trail behind. She moans and drops his jacket on the floor. "So I guess you are cashing in on that raincheck?"

He moans in return. "Absolutely."

"Ok well let me just go peek in on the kids first."

He smiles knowingly and backs up giving her a little space. It's become one of her neurotic mom routines over the years. She checks on the kids while they are sleeping at least two or three times during the night. He used to tease her about it but he finds himself doing it plenty of times as well. "Ok."

Elliot unfastens his tie, toes off his shoes and unfastens the top two buttons of his shirt while she heads upstairs. He opens the fridge and pulls out a bottle of water, feeling the need to drink something other than the glasses of champagne he's had all night. He hadn't expected the job offer to come up tonight and he feels guilty that she was blindsided. They hadn't kept anything from each other and he was the first one by her side when she made all of her recent career transitions.

He was finishing off the last of his water when Olivia came back into the kitchen. Her hair was down, flowing in waves over her shoulders and she had taken off her heels. "Still fast asleep," she reported.

"Were you expecting anything different?" he joked and took out a bottle of water for her.

She took it from his hands and jumped up on the counter next to him. "No but you know I have to check."

"Yes I do."

The house was quiet and still. This was normally the time they devoted to one another, when there were no phone calls from the University for her, the kids were sleeping and he wasn't taking emails and calls from work.

He moved closer to her, settling between the space she left open for him between her legs. She expected him to go straight for her underwear or kiss her but instead he laid his head on her chest and held her close. Her heartbeat was music to his ears and her scent was intoxicating. He never remembers ever being so at peace in his life. If he never did anything but stay in her arms it would be enough for him. This is what he wanted and craved on days when he tried to convince himself otherwise. Her closeness, her proximity, her love.

"I didn't take the job Liv because I don't want anything to change," he murmured near her chest. "What I have right now, you, the kids, our grandkids, our home. It's enough for me. It's more than enough."

Elliot lifted his head to look her in the eyes and she saw exactly what he meant. "I understand."

He pulls her tighter and rests his forehead against hers. "I've done everything in my career that I've wanted to do. I don't need anything else. I've got everything I need right here," and his words are like a cure for anything and everything that's ever been wrong in her life. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"It's ok," she assures him.

He sways in her arm for another fraction of a second before she feels his soft lips against her neck. "Now about that raincheck," and she can feel his smile against her skin. She looks down and can see a small dimple in his left chin and kisses it sweetly.

"What about it?"

He sits up and widens his stance, spreading her legs simultaneously. "I'm ready to cash it in Mrs. Stabler."

"Mmmm," she moans when his lips collide with hers. "I was hoping you would say that."

His hands slide up her thighs and hook into her panties, slowly bringing them down her legs, her garter staying firmly in tact. Their tongues dance in sweet synchronization as she unbuckles his pants and sends his slacks tumbling to the ground, freeing his erection. He pulls her lace dress up around her waist and her naked ass connects with the cold surface of the counter for just a fraction of a second before he pulls her forward. She balances her hands on the counter while a naughty grin spreads along his face. They won't get completely undressed, not this time. He just wants to take her, right here right now.

He doesn't have to touch her to know she's ready. He just knows she is. Her legs are around his waist and with one thrust, he is buried deep inside of her. They let out a long groan at the sensation crawling through their bodies threatening to send them both over the edge. He holds her still reveling in the feel of her that's molded exactly to the shape of him. He kisses her hard as he begins to move with long and deep strokes. She uses the leverage of the counter to push against him creating a perfect friction that causes her toes to curl. Her head is thrown back and he sucks on her neck while holding both of her legs around him.

The love they make binds them, completing a connection that started twenty years ago when a naïve young detective walked into the 1-6 and was introduced to the man that would change her life forever.

He continues to push inside of her and feels her start to tighten around him, triggering his orgasm. They come together and he holds tight to her as she comes down from her sweet release as he's done so many times before. He sits her back on the counter and takes his place standing back between her legs with his head resting on her chest. She strokes his cropped hair and they listen to each other breathe.

The sweet sound of silence all around them.

This is where he belongs.

This is home.

"I love you," she whispers softly in his ear.

"I love you too."


End file.
